This invention relates generally to apparatus for removing contaminant material from a building and, more particularly, is directed to a box-like device for removing asbestos from horizontally and vertically arranged pipes.
The term asbestos is given to a group of naturally occurring minerals called hydrated silicates that are fibrous in nature and have certain desirable physical characteristics, primarily heat resistance. To be classified as fibrous, the mineral is required to be one in which the length of the particle is at least three times as long as its width. The outstanding physical characteristics, in addition to heat resistance, which have accounted for the wide commercial use of asbestos include a high tensile strength, insulating ability and high resistance to acid.
Asbestos fibers have been used in hundreds of commercial products in the United States such as heat-resistant textiles, thermal insulations, construction products such as ceiling tiles and wall boards, gaskets and brake linings. In many instances, and particularly in industrial plants, asbestos has been used as an insulating material for high temperature pipes.
The Environmental Protection Agency has recently reported at Page A15 of the Mar. 1, 1988 edition of the New York Times that more than 500,000 office buildings, apartment houses, stores and other public and commercial buildings contain potentially dangerous loose asbestos in deteriorating condition.
It is well documented that asbestos-related diseases are generally classified into five different categories, namely asbestosis which is a type of pulmonary disease caused by inhalation of the asbestos dust, pleural disease which relates to changes in the pleura (the membranes enveloping the lungs and the pleural cavity) caused by inhalation of the asbestos fiber, lung cancer, mesothelioma which is a form of cancer of the pleural and peritoneal cavities, and other cancers such as laryngeal cancer and cancer of the gastrointestinal tract.
As a result of the above, there has been an outcry for asbestos removal in office and apartment buildings and in factories, requiring a great amount of expenditures and time for such asbestos removal.
One particularly troublesome area of asbestos removal is that of removing asbestos materials from horizontally and vertically arranged pipes, for example, those which are exposed in factories and the like. Typically, the entire room is sealed and the asbestos-laden insulation is scraped from the pipes and permitted to fall to the ground where it is cleaned. However, this results in a great deal of asbestos fibers circulating in the air and it becomes difficult to satisfactorily clean the room of such asbestos fibers. Further, the time and cost in sealing the room becomes prohibitive.
In this regard, it has been known to wrap a plastic bag about a small section, for example, a three foot section of pipe. The bag has glove holes, whereby the asbestos can be scraped from the pipe, from which it then falls into the bag. An example of such a bag is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,291 to Natale. In addition, such bag may commercially be provided with a hole for suction removal to remove dust, whereby the main portion of the bag holds the large chunks of asbestos scraped from the pipe. However, there is a large delay in wrapping the bag around the pipe and accordingly, it takes approximately one-half hour or more to remove asbestos from a three foot pipe length. Also, such bag cannot be used with steam pipes which would melt the bag. Therefore, this bag is not used during the winter time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,190 to Fink et al discloses a portable maintenance exhaust hood which isolates sections of piping for maintenance and repair. The hood has a transparent front panel to provide a clear viewing shield which can be adjusted between an open and close position. A collapsible frame is used for supporting the hood which is made of a flexible material. In addition, such hood provides a drain aperture formed through the bottom wall of the enclosure and connected to a disposable container by a conduit. A vacuum unit is also provided and is connected to the enclosure by means of a conduit. The end walls of the enclosure are provided with closure flaps which are secured over the pipe passing therethrough.
This latter patent is used for carrying out maintenance and repair procedures upon installed pipes and other conduits without disassembling them, and particularly on sections that include joints, valves and similar in-line fixtures. Thus, this apparatus is particularly applicable for facilities such as nuclear and chemical plants in which the performance of such work exposes personnel to serious hazards, such as from noxious and dangerous gases, liquids and particulates. In the first place, with this apparatus, the frame structure shown in FIG. 6 of the patent effectively requires the enclosure to be built around the pipe. In addition, in order to provide an opening for access to the pipe, the front flap is opened, thereby subjecting the room environment to any hazardous materials. Still further, this device is not provided for removing contaminate material, such as asbestos from pipes. In addition, such apparatus can only be used with linearly oriented pipes and could not be used with T-shaped, L-shaped, and the like pipes, and could not be used with pipes positioned near the ceiling of a room.
An enclosure is also known for removing asbestos and is sold under the designation "AERO-PIPE CAPSULE" by Aerospace America, Inc., 900 Truman Parkway, Bay City, Mich. 48707. With this arrangement, an entire enclosure is provided around the pipe. The enclosure is provided under constant negative air pressure and includes a built-in water/slash surfactant wetting applicator, with waste being collected in conventional bags. This enclosure uses end cuffs which are interchangeable to accommodate pipes of different diameters and uses gloved openings in the enclosure. The Aerospace America, Inc. brochure discloses different systems for different arrangements of pipes. For example, Model Nos. APC-001 and APC-002 are designed as horizontal capsules, Model Nos. APC-003 and APC-004 are designed as one-man horizontal capsules, Model Nos. APC-005 and APC-006 are designed as vertical pipe capsules, Model Nos. APC-007 and APC-008 are designed as up-tee and up-elbow capsules. Model Nos. APC-009 and APC-010 are designed as down-tee and down-elbow capsules, Model Nos. APC-011 and APC-012 are designed as valve capsules and Model Nos. APC-013 and APC-014 are designed as horizontal-tee and elbow, and horizontal-elbow capsules, respectively. It is clear that different Aerospace America, Inc. capsules are needed for different arrangements of pipes and valves, and therefore, such system can become expensive where different capsules or end caps are needed for different pipe arrangements contained in the same room.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,293 to Arner et al discloses a box enclosure for a sample preparation and includes gloved openings. However, such apparatus could not be used for removing asbestos from pipes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,999,448 to Abler et al discloses a dust free work bench apparatus which also could not be used for removing asbestos from pipes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,977 to Chapel discloses apparatus for removing asbestos from walls without contaminating the ambient environment. In such apparatus, a box-like device is provided which is open at the upper end thereof and includes a suction and receptacle unit connected thereto. At the open upper end, a scraping means is provided for scraping material from a wall or ceiling and a suction is also provided in the box to prevent the asbestos fibers from escaping into the room atmosphere. However, this patent could not be used for removing asbestos from pipes.
Other devices which are less relevant than those discussed above, but which the Examiner may consider material to the examination of the above identified application are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,064,660; 2,147,190; 2,984,263; 2,927,338; 3,461,478; 3,775,806; 4,049,321; and 4,263,693.